Directgov was launched as an independent service in April 2004. As government’s primary electronic channel to citizens regarding government services, it, aims to be the one place to which citizens turn for the latest and widest range of public services.

By breaking down the artificial barriers created by the structures of government, it offers its customers a way of accessing government on their terms either directly by specific topic, such as “Money, tax and benefits” or “Motoring”, or through sections tailored to specific groups, such as ”Disabled people”.

For government, it offers a way to reach a greater audience for its electronic services and enables the benefits that result from the increased use of these services.

There have been nine successful major releases of Directgov to date, resulting in improved customer interaction and the first set of integrated services. Today, Directgov supports services on the Web via www.direct.gov.uk, digital television via Sky Intl, and Telewest, through a network of “mylocal” kiosks across the country.

Impact:

For citizens. recent research shows that the key benefits for using the site are saving time, having a single destination site, being introduced to new services and having access outside normal working hours.

It is also crucial that citizens feel that they are able to interact with government in a digital environment that is safe and secure.

The promotion of rapid e-transactions through a single front-end mechanism, which meets the majority of citizens’ immediate needs, will have immediate benefits for government departments by increasing the reach and accelerating the acceptance and use of e-services.

The site will result in immediate operational savings from reducing e-delivery costs through consolidation and use of a common architecture and better use of government public expenditure.